Sunday, December 15, 2013

My class elf was pretty calm this week. You can check out what he did the previous week here I posted about it in my Five for Friday post.

Here's what he's been up to this week:

Monday was a lazy day hanging out in the classroom fuzzy basket. He was quite comfy!!!

Tuesday was a snow day, so he had the day off.

Wednesday he was watching A White Christmas on Youtube until he fell over, then during lunch he turned around and just sat on the computer for the rest of the afternoon.

Thursday he was just chillin on the projector and enjoyed watching Pigeon: Impossible with my 4th graders while we worked on making inferences.

Friday he jumped into the pull up, they thought this was absolutely hysterically. On Thursday, while doing out Mystery Mail activity, from Clutter Free Classroom (so much fun, my kiddos loved it, make sure to check it out) one of my kiddos mentioned how funny it would be if Max was in the pull up the next day. So of course that's where he ended up!!!

This week, since it's the last week, he will be up to some more shenanigans!!! Check back next weekend to see what he did.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog?
Hot chocolate all the way, especially with some half & half or cream in it for a creamier texture. Yum-o!!!

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa always wrapped my presents as a kid & still does. :) So he of course wraps my little guys presents too, except the big stuff. Like last year he got a kitchen and a ride on fire truck, neither one of those got wrapped & this year his wagon is not getting wrapped either.

Colored Lights or White?
My dad's tree always had blinking multi-colored lights, but my mom's tree always had white lights and a lot of them, because she would put them deep into the tree. I like the way white lights look, but my hubby hates them, he says they're boring & prefers colored lights. But I have a problem with solid colored lights, so I've told him we can do multi-colored lights but absolutely NO solid colored lights.

When do you decorate?
Usually whenever we get our tree and that is dictated by my hubby's work schedule. This year we have nothing right now, he's been super busy between working and finishing the semester at school. I told my hubby though when we buy our new house we are starting to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving, so we can enjoy the season all month long.

Real or Fake Tree?
I've always had a real tree. As a kid my dad would alternate years between cut and bulb trees. We have high ceilings in our house & the years we would get a cut tree it would be really tall. Then on the opposite years we would have a smaller tree but it was a bulb tree that my dad would replant in the yard. I think there's 5 "former" Christmas trees in the yard now.

What tops your tree?
At my dad's house it's always been a star. My mom uses an angel. My hubby and I decided to stay with the star, though I really do like the look of a bow.

Favorite Christmas Memories or Traditions?
My family all goes to my grandparents (dad's side) house on Christmas Eve and Santa comes and hands out a gift from his bag to all the kids (from their parents of course, but we didn't know that as kids), and hands out the gifts from our family pollyanna. Because there were 9 cousins, we would do a pollyanna and just get a gift for one person. After Santa left we would eat and play with the toys we got and visit and have a grand ol' time. It is my absolute favorite day of the year, even more so than Christmas, now that I'm older. And now there are still 9 grandkids but we are all grown up now & 6 of us have spouses and 3 of us have kids of our own (6 great grands total), plus some extended family always comes and their kids have kids, so my grandparents house is going to be pushing 50 this year (her house is not meant to hold that many, but we wouldn't have it any where else or any other way).

Christmas 2011, my little guys 1st Christmas

Do you remember your favorite gift as a child?

When I was 7 my dad bought me a dry erase board, a pretty decent size one, like the one you would hang on your wall. I loved it because I could play school on it and felt like a teacher. I loved doing math problems on it.

Do you prefer giving or receiving?

Definitely giving. I LOVE to see the look on people's faces when they open what I got them, especially if I think it's something they're going to love. Like this year my little guy is almost 3 & I'm so excited for him to open his presents, especially since he keeps playing with the Imaginext Rescue City every time we see it in any store & Santa will be bringing it for him plus some accessories. I can't wait to see his face when he opens it.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?

That would be Nat King Cole's Christmas Song. My Poppop (my mom's dad) died 9 years ago & my mom always said she wishes he would of been able to teach me how to dance (you know the fancy kind; box step, Fox Trot, the Waltz or something besides shuffling around in a circle that we all do now) & every time I hear this song that's what I think of...dancing with my Poppop.

Candy Canes. Yuk or Yum?

Generally a yuk. I don't like to be sticky and I don't particularly care for peppermint, but I do like the life saver ones.

Favorite Christmas Movie?
Home Alone 1 & 2. I'm a 90s kid. I remember when those movies came out & I still love them today what 20 years later. I've also never seen any of the old, traditional Christmas movies.

Do you shop online or at stores?
I prefer to shop at stores, even though they're crazy and full of people, there's just something about finding that gift and buying it at the store. But if I can't find what I'm looking for in the store I will buy it online.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Ok I'm a little late, but I had no energy last night to post this. It was one of those afternoons, where the internet went down in the middle of plans, one copy machine was down, the other one was out of white paper & we only had colored left. Plus it was rainy & cold, so I went home, & tried to relax.

1.) We had family pictures taken this week, so we could send Christmas cards out. Here's picture I took on my phone of one of the proofs online.

2.) The Elf on the Shelf joined my classroom this week. I have a group of 3rd graders and a group of 4th graders so they each named him & they are keeping an elf journal while he is visiting with us. They have to write about where the elf is sitting each day and what he did, if he was up to any antics, then write about how it made them feel & why, and make a prediction on what they think he is going to do the next day. Here are some pics of what he did each day.

3.) Does anyone else's desk look like this when they are trying to do their plans?

8 tabs open as I try to search for different resources and activities

Piles and papers everywhere as I consult curriculum & take notes of things I need & as I print

Planning is so frustrating and overwhelming. I hate having to do it at home, but some weeks I have no choice & since I refuse to print at home, then I'm rushing around like a crazy woman Monday morning printing & copying.

4.) As you know I teach 3rd & 4th grade Resource room, so my guys reading levels are below grade level & some of them well below. So we are working on grade level skills as well as foundational skills. Here's one of my guys working on a short vowel sort I created, Sort the Shorts.

Check it out in my store by clicking the link above or this pic.

5.) Before Thanksgiving even rolled around I began thinking about what to give my students as a Holiday gift. I only have 10 kiddos but I still don't want to spend a ton of money. So after some research I came up with a coupon booklet, personalized bookmark (that I'm going to make for each of them), and a dry erase board from the dollar store that is personalized with their name using letter stickers. (I'll post pics once I have them completely done)

Here are the coupons I created for them, they are the only things that I done. Click the picture for your free, editable (the blank section is where I wrote a note to my kiddos. That's why I made it editable in case you wanted to put a little note from you to them in there), copy of them.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

I can't believe it, I'm actually doing a link. I've neglected this blog so much since school started & I started my first full time position, which I'm loving by the way. So tonight I'm linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her December Currently.

LISTENING:

My son is watching Toy Story on the Disney channel. I don't mind though. This trilogy is my all time favorite. Besides it's a welcome break from Wreck It Ralph, another good movie, but we've watched it everyday for weeks.

LOVING:

I've beed adding to my Tpt wish list and I'm super excited to stock up on products that look like they are going to be very useful for me and my kiddos. The one downfall of special ed, my kids are so low, that I need material ranging from 1st-4th. 1st & 2nd because that's where the majority of their reading levels are and 3rd & 4th because that's their grade levels. Oh well it is what it is and we are working on becoming better readers while preparing for the NJASK in the Spring. The thought of that test makes me sad for them.

THINKING:

I still have A LOT of 3rd grade skills to cover for this unit before the benchmark, in roughly 3 weeks. Yes you've done the math correctly. Our 3rd grade Language Arts benchmark test is scheduled for the Tuesday before winter break. Really?!? Since I'm Resource I have the flexibility to push it back, but making my kiddos wait until after break seems unfair too. "Hey welcome back now remember everything I taught you before Winter Break? No! Fantastic! Here's a test on it." So it's time to shift our gears and get through what we can.

WANTING:
My little guy is 2 & 1/2 (3 in March) & I don't know about my husband, but I had so much fun shopping for him this year, for Christmas. He's at that age where he's starting to understand the concept of Santa. He keeps talking about Santa visiting him at Mommom's (my grand mom's house) on Christmas Eve & is asking that Santa bring him a dump truck. I can't wait to see his face when he unwraps that dump truck. And we got him the Imaginext Rescue City, which he plays with every time he sees it in the story. It'll be so much fun for me to see his excitement when he opens that. Our only frownie face is that in our house, our Christmas morning is the morning after Christmas because my husband works shift work and has to work on Christmas. Oh well, at least my son is still young enough that he doesn't know the date that Santa is suppose to come.

NEEDING:
To make an assessment for character traits and POV for my 3rd graders. I've been putting it off all break, like everything else. There's no better time than the last minute, right?

FAVORITE TRADITION:
Every Christmas Eve my entire family & some extended family comes to my Mommom's house and Santa comes and hands out gifts and the cousins do a Pollyanna style exchange. It's my absolute favorite day of the year. All of my family together with food and gifts, it's the best. And now that all of us grandkids are older, many of us have kids of our own, so my Mommom's house is just about busting at the seems, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!!!

Friday, September 20, 2013

When I started this blog at the end of the school year, I was only part-time, now this year I'm full time (yay!!!) but I never thought I would become such a bad blogger. Like so bad that I should probably have to sit in bloggy time out, so here's a quick Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching.

1.) I'm still super overwhelmed with everything. I'm trying to get ahead yet I'm still behind. Right now I feel like I'm in survival mode & not teaching the way I want to because I'm trying to stay afloat with all this curriculum & trying to make it work for my kids, who are classified & very below level, like 3rd & 4th graders reading at 1st & 2nd grade reading levels. Plus I'm in a constant state of worriedness because I know my first eval is coming soon since I'm non-tenured.

2.) Here are some pics of my kiddos, on different days, doing some centers.

Reading, with their "special" reading glasses, sorry they're hard to see since I had to cover their eyes.

3.) Took our little guy down the shore to see the firetrucks (which were already gone by the time we got there) during the Fireman's convention, but we still had a lot of fun walking the boardwalk & taking out little guy on the rides.

This was Labor Day at the annual carnival we go to, he just loves the rides.

4.) My room is finally just about complete & I will have a reveal soon & I'm going to try & blog at least once a week. I've got to get better again, so I can come out of time-out. :)

5.) Ok, it's movie time with the hubby, we're watching World War-Z. Yay! You know I love Zombie (like) movies!!!

Friday, September 6, 2013

School started this week. Need I say more, I'm pooped, & I didn't even have any kids this week. I'm a resource teacher & I won't begin picking my kids up for Language Arts until Monday. Am I ready? Absolutely not! But I've been up at 5:30 every day this week, this is so not normal for me. My body & eyelids are screaming at me for getting up so early.

My building is having a MAJOR technology FAIL! The computer lab is pretty much the only place that can print, but the internet is shaky, so make sure you have your flash drive. I still can't log onto my computer using my login info. I'm getting in on a temporary sign in right now. I don't have a phone or printer & my Smartboard needs to be hooked up. So all in all it makes lesson planning a little tough because I can't print in my room, but I'm making it work & it looks like we'll be kickin' it old school next week...no technology.

I think I'm going to change my job title from "Teacher" to "Gumby." Is there any other profession that has to be as flexible as us?

Yesterday my supervisor handed me a summer reading project that one of my students completed during extended school year & that's when it clicked that I should probably read those books, so I can grade their projects.

So this weekend I'll be reading the following:

4th grade summer reading

I've actually never read "Because of Winn-Dixie" or saw the movie.

And I already read this book, it took me about 20 minutes. My poor, low third graders, I'm sure struggled through this.

3rd grade summer reading

Here are a few pics of my room. I've added some things since I took these last week, but I'll do an official room reveal after I get paid next week. I'm making a trip to Ikea, hopefully they still have those wonderful looking stools that I've seen all over blog land this summer. They will be perfect for my small table & I really want the polka dot rug. Fingers crossed they still have those things.

Straight in from the door

From behind my desk

From behind my small table

My Welcome banner

This past weekend was my cousin's bachelorette party. It was the whole weekend & I'll let the picture below show you what kind of time we had.

First, me with the bride-to-be on the way to Atlantic City.

Now here is her before & after shots. I love this pic so much. Best picture ever!!!!

Left: Before leaving the beach house Right: On the shuttle bus on the way back to the beach house, about 5 hours later

Amazing...I know! It was a lot fun & felt good to get away for the weekend!

Listening: Watching "Hotel Transylvania" while trying to quickly get this post out, then move onto work stuff {sigh} & listening to the sounds of my toddler babbling in his crib, when he should be napping.

Loving: My cousin's Bachelorette Party was this weekend, yes the whole weekend, with different activities everyday. She's very Type A, but it was wonderful to not be mommy this weekend, even though I did miss my little guy.

The soon-to-be bride & I on the party bus on the way to Atlantic City, Saturday night.

Thinking: Now that I have a full time job, again, it's time for my little guy to go to pre-school. He's 2&1/2 & yearns to play with kids his own age, I know he'll be okay, but I'm still having trouble with the thought of leaving him.

Wanting: Why does it always rain on Labor Day? Every year the small town my dad grew up in has a carnival & we ALWAYS go on Monday night & of course it's raining right now. It needs to clear out before tonight, this is family tradition & I struggle with not doing it.

Needing: Like a mentioned before, I have a full time position this year. FINALLY!!! My part-time district hired me as a full time resource teacher for language arts for 3rd & 4th grade. I'm so excited, but I feel like I still have a million things to do & prepare & not enough money or necessary materials, so I'm freaking out a bit. My type A personality rearing it's ugly head, again, that it all has to be ready before the kids come on Thursday. I literally had to write a note on my dry erase frame on my desk to breathe that it'll all get done.

Loving Myself:
1.) I love to read & really want to keep reading for fun after school starts & the craziness begins.
2.) Since this is my first year full time & I am a mommy, my goal is to not stay late every night at work. The last of the buses should leave by 3:30 (I have bus duty), so my goal is to leave by 4:30 or sooner, at least 2 days a week or more.
3.) Now that my paycheck will substantially be bigger, I really need to keep up on manicures & pedicures, as a treat to myself.